


de rerum natura

by Mossgreen



Series: 2770 ab urbe condita [45]
Category: 2770 ab urbe condita - Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Rome, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Master/Slave, Non-Sexual Slavery, Sexual Slavery, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-30 08:46:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17825588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mossgreen/pseuds/Mossgreen
Summary: 'On the nature of things': Drusus Varius Metellus muses on slavery, with examples from his household.(This is written from a first-person perspective. Views espoused are those of a fictional character living in a world where chattel slavery - literally owning another human being - is perfectly legal and acceptable.)





	de rerum natura

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be DVM musing mainly on Ven and his other slaves, and grew to be something... larger. Possibly an article for _Dominus_ or another magazine?

_salvēte, lēctores_!

Despite everything you may have read or heard to the contrary, the life of a senior businessman in today’s Rome is not all _panem et circensēs_. Which is why I am glad of my house up on the Quirinal - one of the oldest parts of the Eternal City. There have been Varii on the Quirinal since Gaius Julius Caesar was a boy.

A house on the Quirinal, stocked with slaves whose sole purpose is seeing to the comfort and ease of their master. It’s a fair trade, I house and clothe and feed them, and I don’t have to worry about doing menial chores like cooking or cleaning or laundry. I daresay that you barbarians won’t appreciate it, but Romans have had slaves even since before Gaius Julius Caesar was a boy. There may be one or two places on Earth that don’t have some form of slavery - even the Tianchans have, although they don’t admit it, preferring to call theirs ‘serfs’ or some such.

It is simply the order of things: citizens govern (the household, the town, the province, the Empire) and slaves serve, and if a citizen breaks the law and is reduced to slavery, well, he should not have been so foolish as to break the law. To break the law is to upset the order of things; slaves cannot be expected to know the law and to keep it without guidance and correction applied from outside himself, by an owner. A citizen who breaks the law has proven himself to be no better than a slave, in showing a lack of self-discipline. By therefore reducing him to a condition he has proven he fits, he may learn to contribute to the household he finds himself in, and thereby learn to be a better citizen when he returns to that state of liberty.

It isn’t as though I am a particularly harsh master, either; my slaves are all fed well, and are not overworked. They get regular payments of _pecūlium_ , with the opportunity to earn more - my handyman Davus has a lathe upstairs in the workroom which he uses to turn some very pretty things to sell in one of the more artsy shops down the street, and the gardener has my permission to sell what cuttings he can propagate, although not at the expense of caring for my garden first. The others have permission to spend the time I do not require their services directly in their own little hobbies and crafts and may sell what they produce, although their service to me and to the household naturally takes precedence, as that is why I bought them. Should I feel that they are paying more attention to their other interests, it is a simple matter to remove that temptation and confiscate tools and materials to bring the slave’s focus back to where it should not have strayed from.

The house slaves are all well-trained and well-disciplined; there are few things more calculated to please a paterfamilias than to have two or three smart young house-slaves in livery always standing to attention in the atrium waiting to run whatever errand you may please to send them on. They impress visitors, too, running to fetch refreshments or silently pouring drinks.

A well-run house owes much to the care of its steward, and Willow has belonged to my family since he was a boy. He has been almost everything from a general skivvy to a house-slave, and what he has forgotten about running a house was probably not worth remembering. He is the only member of the household, apart from myself, who may purchase slaves, and I have never been disappointed with his selection, although he has not often had the opportunity to exercise that particular privilege.

And of course there’s Ven. You might recognise him (as much as a free person ever recognises a slave owned by someone else, anyway) from the VosTubum videos I use him for, although you probably don’t realise he’s useful outside of those, being both my _concubīnus_ and secretary. If you’re curious about the name, it’s perfectly outlandish, I grant you, but there’s rarely any good reason to change a slave’s name. It’s how they’re used to thinking of themselves, when thinking in terms other than ‘Master’s property’ and it takes a while for a slave to grow accustomed to answering to something different. There are occasionally good reasons to change a slave’s name, but most changes are just because the master fancies something new, and that’s not a good enough reason in my book.

Ven himself is rather delightful - if you haven’t seen him, I suggest you go and watch at least one of my VosTubum videos. He is intelligent, docile, though not cowed, well-trained and well-behaved, obedient, and he looks good on camera. Very pretty green eyes, which are most unusual in one from the area of Campania, and he has the most endearing habit of catching his lip between his teeth when he’s concerned about something. I suppose I should train him out of it, but it is rather cute. His skin marks well, without being too easily damaged, and he is a particularly sweet fuck, with his little groans and moans and half-choked off cries. He wears a plug all the time, but it merely serves to keep his bum ready, waiting, and there’s little to no preparation required after removing the plug, apart from adding lube.

He gives a good blowjob, too, although naturally he is aware of his lack of standing in society when he is required to serve me in that respect. I daresay it is not so debasing to one not from the Empire, but, well. Citizens employ their mouths to make speeches in the courts and the Senate, it is only non-citizens and slaves who should ever lower themselves to using their mouths on another’s genitals.

Ven is privileged enough to sleep in my bed most nights, and sensible enough not to expect to sleep there as a matter of course. Unless you have your own slave who is permitted to share your bed, you likely do not appreciate just how nice it is to wake to a soft warm body in your bed, and to have your morning erection taken care of without having to do anything yourself, or wait for it to subside naturally - and there is no mess left for you to roll over into unawares or to have to summon a slave to deal with.

I do recommend thoroughly depilating any slave you wish to take to your bed on a regular basis. Soft smooth skin wherever your hands chance to roam does have much to offer, unless you particularly like a beard rash or the equivalent when you wrap your legs around his, and a clean-shaven genital region is much easier to keep clean, as well as looking nicer than an untidy and potentially dirty thatch of hair. Whether or not you choose to shave or epilate your pet’s crotch, I cannot stress highly enough that you should ensure his (or her; this applies to _ancillae_ too!) armpits are always clean-shaven, especially if you allow your slave to share your bed. Do not allow your slave to protest over this decision, his body is your property to do as you like with - within the law, of course.

You should ensure your pet exercises daily; Ven has set exercises he must complete every day, and we walk to and from my office on most days. If you feed your slave by hand, you can ensure that he gets a proper diet - I generally hand-feed Ven at breakfast most days, although when I do not, he still eats at the same time as me and I can supervise what he actually consumes. A glass of milk, juice or water, a bowl of fruit cubes and a bread roll is generally sufficient and is easy enough to administer by hand. (Please note that when hand-feeding - or doing any activity with your slave - he should not be permitted to hurry you beyond the pace you choose to set. If you only wish to give him one bite every five minutes, that is your prerogative as the master, and your slave must abide by that choice. I suggest cuffing the slave's hands behind his back until he learns to keep from reaching for any food while you are hand-feeding him.)

You should be aware of your pet’s attempts to manipulate you - all slaves may try this, but you should not allow them to do so and should punish the attempt. Failure to do this will mean that your authority is diminished in your own household and your orders will not be obeyed punctually. Moreover, your slaves will begin to talk of you with contempt, a state of affairs which should bring down swift punishment, even to the threat of sale. 

It is sometimes easier to start all over by training a new slave to your preferences than having to break bad habits and instil new ones - but selling and replacing a slave should be a last resort, and you should take care to place your slave with an owner who will give the necessary discipline without being overly harsh or even, gods forbid, outright abusive. You may certainly phone SIPAS, anonymously if need be, to report any case of abuse that comes to your attention - it is part of your duty as a citizen. Cases that are not proved both exonerate the owner and reassure the slaves, after all.

The occasional minor manipulation _may_ be permitted on occasion, when it is to your advantage, especially if it is the slave suggesting something you would likely otherwise order him to do anyway. Anything outside of that should be punished; you are the master, they are the slaves. To allow otherwise is to disrupt the natural order of things. Ven's lowered eyes and suggestive licking of the lips and teeth when offering a morning blow-job are very pretty, but I would probably order him to do that anyway, if I didn't choose to roll him over and fuck him. Have I mentioned he's a sweet fuck, with very pretty whimpers and moans?

But you should not always give in to your slave's manipulations, even when they are to your advantage. You are the master and they must accept their lower place. If you do not always give in to them, they will not try to manipulate you into allowing things you would never permit under normal circumstances. I do not always allow Ven the privilege of sucking me off in the morning. Sometimes I prefer to fuck him. There are occasions when I will make him jerk me off and come over his face. You should not give into your slave's every request; he will come to expect it and you will find it much harder to put your foot down and have him carry out an order without pouting or sulking and neither of those are to be encouraged in your slaves.

They need not be overjoyed to be owned by you and have to serve you, but they should not be allowed to act as though they are being martyred. You will want your front-of-house staff to be cheerful (or at least to look it!), for that will reflect well on you as the master, or mistress. You may encourage the slaves in their extracurricular hobbies, but they should not embark on any relationships or other activities without your prior knowledge and permission. You are the owner, therefore you should be the centre of their focus, and you should not permit anything that will detract from that, however much they plead. A trial period is acceptable, but your decision after that is not to be argued against. After all, you are the paterfamilias, or materfamilias, and your slaves should want to please you more than anything.

_valēte_

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:  
>  _de rerum natura_ (The title) - on the nature of things  
>  _salvēte, lēctores_ \- Hello, readers!  
>  _panem et circensēs_ \- bread and circuses (the two things lower-class citizens could expect to receive for free. In the sense used here, the meaning is more ‘fun and games’)  
>  _pecūlium_ -’pocket money’ which a slave may save up to purchase his freedom. In the world of 2770auc, it goes into a fund administered by the governmental Bureau of Slave Affairs. Slaves may access their fund to pay for things they wish to buy, if they choose (with their master’s permission, of course, although the shopkeeper need not have proof that said permission was given!)  
>  _paterfamilias_ \- literally ‘father of the family’, the head of the household, with absolute authority over the members of the household, including his family as well as the slaves.  
>  _concubīnus_ \- bed-slave; male concubine. A male concubine was _always_ a slave, a female concubine ( _concubīna_ ) could be a freedwoman or, possibly, a non-citizen free woman or, far more rarely, a low-class citizen.  
>  _ancillae_ \- plural of _ancilla _, a slave-girl or maidservant. The feminine word _serva_ , the equivalent of _servus___ , (male) slave, could also be used to describe an unfree woman.  
> SIPAS – Societās Imperātōrium Prohibēre Atrōcitae Servīs (which translates back to English as the Imperial Society (or Alliance) to Prevent/Prohibit/Hinder Cruelty/Brutality to Slaves; Latin has a far smaller vocabulary than English, therefore words that are synonyms in English are often translated to the same word in Latin.)  
>  _materfamilias_ \- literally the ‘mother of the family’. In 2770auc, the head of the household could be a woman, who would be the matriarch. In families with a husband-and-wife, the woman would generally be responsible for the welfare of the household where the man would be responsible for the discipline.  
>  _valēte_ \- Farewell, goodbye.


End file.
